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Jesus said in John 10:10 that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan hates you and he wants to destroy you and your family. Period. He wants to destroy your life and your soul. He wants to:
Steal your peace;
Kill your joy;
Destroy your spirit.
And sometimes, he doesn’t need any more than the routine, the maddeningly mundane every day to achieve this.
We forsake our time with God and in His word for a moment of relaxation with a good book or TV show. We work hard, we’ve earned it. We trade in our Sabbath rest for an ever growing to-do list, and sacrifice quality family time for dozens of extra-curricular activities, leaving ourselves stretched too thin in the process.
The next thing you know, we find ourselves surviving instead of thriving. Trying to keep our head above water in this crazy life. And just like that, we’ve traded in Jesus’ plan for his instead. Satan loves to see us suffering through this life. He loves to see us barely surviving.
But Jesus came to give us LIFE, abundant life. Heaven is going to be awesome, but life doesn’t have to be something we just suffer through in the meantime. I believe Jesus wants us to thrive. He wants us to grasp on to His promises of love, joy, and peace for right now.
I believe we can help each other do that. In fact, it’s a foundational principle of this blog—the idea that in sharing triumphs, struggles, and ideas, we can actually help encourage and inspire each other to thrive!
It is with this goal and vision in mind that I am starting a new link-up on my blog. Tomorrow (and every Thursday), we will celebrate Thriving. I hope you’ll come back tomorrow and join the kick-off party. There will be giveaways, tips for how to thrive instead of survive, and lots of awesome bloggers linking up their posts.
If you’re a blogger, I would like to personally invite you to come and link up!
Please, help me spread the word and make this an awesome link-up party and community! Feel free to share on twitter, facebook, etc.
PS–My blog is nominated for a Circle of Moms Top 25 List...you can go here to vote for me. You may have to click the “Pending” tab
Thoughtful and timely post. My first thought with the post title was related to my business – in an emergency, I want to be thriving not just surviving and that’s why I’m buying and selling THRIVE Foods.
but as it pertains to my current life I’ve been in survival mode and need to make changes to be able to thrive and feel His peace and rejuvenation. Can’t wait to see what you share tomorrow!
Thank you, Eden. I think we all get into “survival” mode sometimes, and it’s sad because God is there, just waiting to offer that rejuvenation
Thank you Honey, for being faithful to God with your blog and to us your family
I love you! (That comment is from my hubby for all you wonder-ers
I am looking forward to this series – last night I was reading my bible and in the study notes it asked, “If Jesus came right now what would he think about how you’re living you life.” And I thought, “Well I’m hanging in there-I haven’t given up yet if that means anything at all.” I hope that someday I’ll be thriving but right now it is hard to believe that I’ll ever feel happy again. Thanks for doing the series – I pray that it will be a big help to me and others who need it.
Thanks. I have been there. I suffer from clinical depression, so sometimes it feels like I live there. But I know that God has more for my life than this, and I just keep reaching for it.
I found your blog through the Wise Woman link up. This is something that I need. I’m very glad to have stumbled on this
I’m tired of not thriving. Every day seems a struggle and I just want to thrive!
Thanks Jennifer, I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for my post and to visit some other encouraging ladies from the link up as well. I’m really excited about exploring this topic further.
What kind of things do you want in the posts we link up? I am excited!
Yay! I’m excited too
Mainly, it can be anything about your life–homemaking, faith, parenting, marriage…anything. Because I think that we can inspire each other by sharing the real stuff in life. And, since this is the first week and you haven’t linked anything here before, it might even be interesting to link up a favorite post from your archives…sometimes it’s fun to revisit those.
Great post – definitely food for thought. It is one of my pet peeves that activities keep encroaching on our day of rest! We have to have rest in order to thrive. Your link up sounds like it is a great idea.
Thanks, Jerri! I completely agree about the day of rest!
Thanks so much for reminder! There’s so much out there that can send us down that slippery slope from thriving to merely surviving. A mindset of abundance and gratitude is a powerful weapon to guard against this. Where we keep our focus dictates so much of what we receive and where we end up in life~
This is so true! I think focusing on gratitude and having a positive attitude can definitely help!
How exciting! It is easy to get lost in the mundane and forget God has abundant life for us! Thanks for linking up with WIP!
Definitely, Mary Beth! Thanks for visiting and hosting
nice post thanks for sharing..found you thrue other bloggers hope visiting more..blessings.
nice post thanks for sharing..found you thrue other bloggers hope visiting more..blessings
Man oh man. That Satan is a tricky bugger. I had a shouting match with him yesterday, when he tried to disrupt my maddeningly mundane moments. He needs constant evicting, that is for sure.
Yes, Jennifer! Constant evicting is right…love how you said that
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Found you on Sunday Social! I love all the supportive words and reminders of how to be an authentic and transparent follower of Jesus!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Tyah!
Hi Crystal — Can’t wait for Thriving Thursdays — I’ve connected with you on Pinterest and Facebook from Morning Dewdrops. Are you on twitter? Would love to stay connected with you, so I hope you can do the same. I also voted for you in the Ciricle of Moms challenge. The way I look at it if we can share in God through Jesus, then I’m supporting anyway I can. You might like reading about me on my blog. Thanks for the uplifting post. Blessings Terri
My blog is http://morningdewdrops.com
FB page is http://www.facebook.com/MorningDewdrop1
Twitter is https://twitter.com/MorningDewdrop1
Pinterest https://pinterest.com/MorningDewdrop1
Thanks, Terri! I will definitely check out your blog and thanks so much for your support! I am a major twitter newbie, but I’m on there: http://www.twitter.com/ServingJoyfully ; and I’m facebeook as well http://www.facebook.com.ServingJoyfully and pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/servingjoyfully
I am making it my goal to meet one new blogger a week. I’m so thankful I was led to you.
Awesome goal, Gina! Were you in the newbies group for allume? Or maybe I just know you from twitter…I know your face from somewhere online…thanks for your kind words!
No. I wasn’t in the newbies group…I don’t think I knew about that. I wish I had! Yes, I am on twitter. I wrote for roomag for awhile, and the internet cafe devotions…now I write for momlife today and faithlife women. Maybe you have seen me on one of those sites?
come by for a visit if you have time!
I will certainly come for a visit…it must have been twitter then
I think I follow you on twitter.
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Hi there, Looking forward to Thursday. Thanks! jana
Awesome, Jana!
This is a terrific post!!!